Ted Allison

Biography

The neurons of the Central Nervous System underpin how we experience the world.  In humans these CNS neurons cannot be replaced if they are damaged or lost.  Thus neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer Disease leads to memory deficits and dementia, whereas neuron (photoreceptor) death in Retinitis Pigmentosa leads to vision loss and blindness.  However most animals, including fish, have a robust ability to replace damaged neurons.  Overall our research seeks to discover and study genes that are important in neuron degeneration, while also discovering and manipulating genes that underpin repair of the CNS via regeneration.  We often turn to studying the neurons of the retina as an accessible part of the CNS.  Our experiments focus on zebrafish both as a paradigm to address hypotheses of CNS evo-devo, and as a potent model of human disease. 

Research Interest

eye development and glaucoma